UPLAND >> They were cited for a variety of reasons, offenses such as illegal lodging, trespassing or public intoxication, but they all had one thing in common: They’re homeless.

For the homeless, getting to the San Bernardino Superior Courthouse in Rancho Cucamonga for a hearing or to pay the citation isn’t an easy feat.

So, for one day, the courtroom came to them. Judge Ingrid A. Uhler traded her courtroom for a table inside the Upland Carnegie Library on June 23.

The judge had nine cases on the calendar, and of those, seven people showed up, said Eric Gavin, who oversees homeless efforts in Upland.

“The concept came about as the court system examined costs they bore due to significant no-shows. If someone is a no-show, they have a judge and an empty courtroom,” Gavin said. “All that lost time and money caused them to look introspectively.”

All of those in the makeshift courtroom that Friday were given community service time, except for one offender. Gavin said the woman was a victim of domestic violence and was homeless. She had enlisted in the Army, he said, but her infraction was blocking her from serving.

The judge declared her military service to be her community service, Gavin said. The city even provided her temporary shelter for two days.

As is her custom, Uhler donned her black robe, but she asked those in the courtroom to dress down: T-shirts and jeans. The goal of the day was to make the setting informal and not as intimidating as a regular courthouse. With her that day was a public defender, a conflict panel attorney, two judicial assistants and two bailiffs.

“Some of them fear authority,” she said in a phone interview. “This is informal, where they can feel less anxious and less fearful.”

Gavin is the coordinator of the Upland’s Community Restoration Team, which is comprised of advocates who not only meet with homeless people as needed but will work with San Bernardino County to connect them to the relevant resources.

This wasn’t the first time Upland had hosted the homeless court, but it was the first time in several years. It was previously hosted at Foothill Family Shelter, Uhler said.

At the height of the program, Uhler said she was hearing about 50 to 70 cases a visit. But the program dwindled due to judicial reassignments.

Under the new program, the court sessions will be held on the fourth Friday of the month, Uhler said, adding that she hopes to rotate the monthly visits between Upland and San Bernardino.

The program didn’t sit well with everyone in Upland.

At the June 26 Upland City Council meeting, Steve Bierbaum with the Upland Coalition of Concerned Citizens told elected officials he had considered working with the Upland to address the issue of panhandling on freeway offramps.

“UCCC worked very hard to resolve an issue in the city,” he said, referring to Measure E, the recently passed super-ban on most marijuana uses in the city. “We worked with the city for what we thought was best for the outcome of this city. Everything we do is not selfish but what we believe is actually right.”

However, Bierbaum said he is tired of driving by filthy offramps. He will not sit back and watch the homeless, transient and panhandlers not assume responsibility for their actions, he vowed.

“I want to be here for you, I love this city. But really, you can sit up here and say, ‘good work’ to people who break the law — (letting them) off with no penalty whatsoever,” he said. “Guess what, we’ll be back.”

In response, Uhler said by phone that she is trying low-grade misdemeanors, such as public intoxication or trespassing, not felonies. The homeless are ordered to do community service, not unlike a working individual who has committed a misdemeanor and gets work release community service on the weekends, she said.

“Maybe because it’s front and center, and at the Carnegie Library, but for years no one complained when we were at Foothill Family Shelter,” Uhler said.

Gavin said a minor citation can snowball into a more serious violation for homeless individuals.

“They receive them and they don’t pay it because they don’t have money, and it turns into a warrant because they don’t pay (the fine),” he said.

In most cases, when an officer stops a homeless person, Uhler said, the individual is often given a citation and then released, which means he must later show up to court. If the person fails to appear, then another warrant issued. Uhler said it’s not uncommon for one person to have upwards of six warrants on his record, all stemming from one fine.

During the informal court session in Upland, the judge can recall and quash any outstanding warrants — but it comes with a stipulation. Depending on the incident, Uhler will hand them orders, such attending Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as community service. She also orders a summary probation, which requires that they report back in 30 to 90 days, she said.

For example, if someone was cited for trespassing at a 7-Eleven, then Uhler will order they stay away from the location, as well as do community hours.

“It’s our intent to deal with their cases,” Uhler said. “What we’re trying to do is to get them away from the revolving door.”

Like Gavin, Uhler acknowledges these courts sessions will not end homelessness, but the program serves to get them one step closer to assistance and possibly break the cycle of living on the streets.

The goal is to eventually have a social worker from the Public Defender’s office, along with representatives from the Department of Behavioral health and Veterans Affairs, to help secure resources.

Gavin said his role in the court hearing was to request the homeless serve their community service specifically in Upland.

“We’re trying to see some form of justice and restitution is paid, and that comes in the form of community service,” Gavin said, adding he’s working with Public Works to identify cleanup projects that could double as community service.

“I’m not going to pretend homelessness hasn’t had an impact and a blight effect on Upland. It has,” he said. “That’s why I wanted that remedy to be a cleanup of Upland.”